TEHRAN – Climate change is one of the most important problems in Iran that can exacerbate drought and water stress, so it is necessary to make serious plans at the national level to address the phenomena.

Increasing consumption of fossil fuels by humans, especially after the Industrial Revolution, has led to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately climate change, and now tackling this phenomenon has become one of the most important concerns worldwide.

Elham Azizi, an official with the Department of Environment, made the remarks on the occasion of the International Day against Climate Change held on October 24.

“Based on research and assessments conducted by Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and using scenarios proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if the concentration of carbon dioxide doubles by 2100, Iran's average temperature will increase by 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius.

By 2100, Iran's average temperature will increase by 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius. Temperature change, sea-level rise, coastal degradation, destruction of agricultural and food products, deforestation, depletion of freshwater resources, regional climate change in the high and northern hemispheres, changes in rainfall and wind direction, rising natural disasters such as tornadoes and floods, intensifying droughts and developing desert areas, increasing air pollution due to rising hot winds and the potential impact on the spread of diseases such as malaria are some of the known consequences of climate change.

According to scientists, global warming due to climate change is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century.

This phenomenon has very destructive effects all over the world, especially for developing countries and countries in the middle of the world and the dry belt. As a threat to water resources and food security, it will lead to extreme phenomena such as floods and droughts, leading to local, regional and international conflicts, as well as widespread ecological migration.”

Following the increase in greenhouse gas emissions and changes in the Earth's climate system, which has led to an increase in the average global temperature in the 21st century by 0.6 degrees Celsius, governments have adopted the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In 1992, it was adopted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases to the extent that it prevents dangerous interference of human activities with the climate system. The law of accession of Iran to this convention was approved by the Guardian Council in 1996.

In 1997, at the Third Session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kyoto, Japan, the Kyoto Protocol to the Commitments of Industrialized Countries, was drawn up, according to which industrialized States committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent below the amount recorded in 1990, during 2008 to 2012.

Iran has also been a member of the Kyoto Protocol since 2005, but due to the fact that the greenhouse emission was still increasing in the world and the financial mechanisms envisaged in the Kyoto Protocol did not meet the current situation and the world continues to suffer from rising temperatures. In 2015 the Paris Agreement was formed on future climate change strategies, which our country has not yet joined.

Iran among top 10 countries in greenhouse gas emissions

According to the latest reports from global sources, Iran is among the top 10 countries in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

“This indicates the need for serious planning at the national level, however, climate change knows no political or geographical borders and is a phenomenon that affects the entire planet and the way to deal with or adapt to climate change is to reform human activities.

Awareness-raising for people to treat nature properly plays an important role in preventing climate change impact. People can take measures such as saving water and energy, using renewable energy, reducing water consumption in irrigation and agriculture, reducing the volume of waste through optimal consumption and recycling, etc. in order to tackle or adapt to climatic conditions,” she suggested.

FB/MG